A Change in the Line Up
by Sanura Bey
Summary: When the Rat and Cat were born, they each had a twin. Sage and Sakura are the best of friends who also live with Shigure. Can they also transform? What will happen? How will things change between the boys, their sisters, and Tohru?


I sat in my room with Sakura as she brushed my long silver hair before school.

"I could do this you know." I told her smiling.

"Maybe I want to spoil you a little. You deserve it Sage, after the life you had." she told me, sorrow filling her orange eyes. I took the brush from her hand and held it.

"It's not only my life that was bad, Sakura." I told her, my violet eyes locking with her in the mirror. She hugged my shoulders tightly before going back to brushing my hair. When she finished we both got ready to leave when we heard voices in the living room.

"I like cats that much." I heard a female voice say.

"Oh? If they found out, how would they react." Shigure said.

"Huh?" she asked. I moved so I got a good look at her and saw a girl from my class.

"Nothing! Your true sign is a dog, right? No wonder I feel close to you, don't you? Because I'm also a dog..." Shigure was then hit over his head with Yuki's school bag.

"Shigure!" I walked over to him and checked his head injury.

"You look more like a pedophile like this." Yuki told him.

"Hey..." Shigure greeted us.

"Shame on you, moving closer and closer." Yuki told him.

"It hurts." Shigure complained to me.

"It's a pretty good sized bump. What did you put in your bag, a dictionary or a porcelain bowl?" I asked Yuki sarcastically.

"Mmm," he looked in his bag. "Two dictionaries." he told me before turning to our surprise guest. "Honda-san are you okay? I hope my cousin didn't do anything weird." Yuki told her.

"Yu-Yuki! Sakura! Sage! Good... Good morning." she greeted us.

"Good morning." we greeted her. We then all decided to walk to school together which was very quiet, as it always had been. Only this time it was a little strained with our new guest. The day went as normal as it could be before we were to leave for the day. I was collecting my belongings with Sakura and Yuki when I heard someone coming our way. I looked up to see Honda-san getting ready to leave also.

"Yuki... thank you for this morning..." she said bowing to us.

"I'm sorry that Shigure has caused you trouble." Yuki told her smiling.

"No, of course not! He's a kind person! And he showed me the 12 animal zodiac ornaments." she told us with a large grin on her face.

"What did you talk about? Something about the cat zodiac year?" Sakura asked her and I smiled.

"I was very silly when I was a kid." she told us laughing.

"Yes. Cat's are stupid! Doesn't have a good personality." Yuki said and Sakura glared at him.

"Yuki, be nice." I told him as we all walked outside.

"Tohru, do you know how the 12 animal signs became the way it is?" Sakura asked her and she shook her head.

"Originally, using counting numbers and time. Afterwards added Yin-Yang 5 elements complementary and opposite theory, and became a fortune telling thing." I told her.

"You are saying that it had nothing to do with animals!?" she asked me shocked.

"Right." I told her, smiling softly at her. "We're not sure when it started, or for what reason the animals were added, that part is still unclear. But the cat was never added into the 12 animals from the start." I told her.

"I feel that it's better if things stay the way they are. What if cats became part of the clan? Cat's are stupid." Yuki said again.

"Yuki..." I put my hand on my brothers arm and he pulled it away gently.

"Yuki... do you really hate cats?" Honda-san asked him. Suddenly her watch alarm started going off. "It's already this late? I have to work! Sorry, I have to rush to work now." she told us running away.

"Honda-san. You don't look very well. The weather is very hot, you have to look after yourself." Yuki told her before walking away.

"We'll see you tomorrow." I told her walking with Sakura and Yuki back home.

* * *

The three of us were sitting in the living room doing our own thing when Shigure walked in later that evening.

"What are we going to do for dinner tonight?" he asked us.

"I could cook if you like, if someone would clean up the kitchen." I suggested to him but Sakura gave him a look and whatever he was going to say died in his mouth.

"No that's alright, Sage. Maybe we should go out again tonight." he suggested and everyone agreed. We went and dined out before going back home. "Ah! This late already?" Shigure asked as we walked home. "Every night is either take out or dine out, how tiring!"

"Why don't you cook dinner then Shigure?" Yuki asked him.

"I did, but didn't you complain?" Shigure asked him.

"Garlic rice in with salted vegetables isn't dinner." I told him.

"I had a reason to complain." Yuki told him.

"If you're so smart how come you don't do any housework?" Sakura asked Shigure.

"People in our position need another flower that is willing to help us." Shigure said.

"I offered to help around the house." I reminded him.

"Yes but we came to Shigure's to get away from you doing the house work for the family." Sakura told me and I nodded.

"Isn't that Honda-san walking over there?" Yuki asked and we all looked in the direction he was and saw Honda-san walking slowly away from us.

"Scary... you can remember a girls name that quickly." Shigure said giving him a look.

"That's nothing special!" Yuki told him.

"But, it's late, what is she doing out here?" I asked them.

"She really lives close by?" Sakura asked.

"I heard her mother past away maybe she moved here!" Yuki suggested.

"But that's impossible, land around here was never rented to anyone..." Shigure told us and we all looked at each other. We followed her and watched her crawl into the tent. When she crawled out she stared up at us and we stared back down at her. Shigure then burst out laughing and I sighed.

"Shigure, that's enough." Yuki told him.

* * *

"So when did you start living in that tent?" Sakura asked her when we go back in the house with Shigure laughing all the way.

"About one week ago..." she told us.

"I thought it was strange..." Yuki said and Honda-san looked confused at us.

"The whole hill belong to the Sohma family. We didn't sell or lease any land." I explained to her.

"Please... let me stay there for a while...?" she begged us and Shigure finally stopped laughing and we all stared at her. "After the renovation is finished, I'll leave straight away. Although I don't have much but... I'll pay you. Please..."

"It's dangerous there!" Shigure told her. "The ground is loose and there are perverts wandering around. A girl can't live in a tent for that long."

"No problem! I'm already used to the insects!" She told us standing up. "I have the energy and the drive! Please! Baa... dddd..." she suddenly passed out in front of us and we all jumped up to help her.

"Honda-san!" Yuki felt her forehead while kneeling in front of her. "Fever."

"No wonder she looks so pale." I said going to her just in case she fell over.

"First get some ice, ice..." Shigure said opening the door to the kitchen and revealing the trash dump inside. "Ah! Where is it?" he asked looking inside. When Honda-san looked inside she looked horrified at what she saw.

"This looks like a garbage dump..." she said shocked.

"Oh! Well said!" Shigure said before a wolf howled in the distance.

"What is it Shigure?" I asked him.

"Looks like it's going to landslide." he told me.

"The last storm did make the soil soft and loose." Sakura told him and I nodded in agreement.

"Eh! How... how would you know that?" Honda-san asked him. I looked from Sakura to Shigure and waited to see what he said.

"Mmm? This is called wildlife ability." Shigure told him.

"Stop joking around Shigure, where is it?" Yuki asked him.

"Yuki, you are so cruel!" Shigure said acting hurt.

"Maybe... Could it be near, my tent!?" Honda-san asked freaking out a little.

"It can't be that coincidental!" Shigure told her smiling.

"Then, where?" Yuki and I asked him.

* * *

We looked at the site of the landslide and Honda-san's face paled considerably.

"Waa... No! Mom's picture is still in the tent! Mama!" Honda-san said as she tried to dig out the picture of her mother.

"Honda-san!?" Yuki said going to her. "Honda-san, calm down, you still have a fever!"

"But!" Honda-san said, crying. "But mama, she... what should I do? I need to get her out quickly or she'll be in pain!" I walked over to her and gently took one of her dirty hands in mine.

"Honda-san, please come back to our home." I said.

"We'll come back tomorrow morning!" Shigure told her. "If a landslide happens again, you might hurt yourself your mom would feel even worse." Shigure told her.

* * *

We went back to the house and I offered Honda-san a kimono for her to rest in. I went and got a wash cloth and a bowl with some cold water. I went back to the guest room and and dipped the cloth into the water and put it on her forehead.

"Yuki went looking for some ice." Shigure said as he walked in. "You must be very tired, hard working student..."

"I'm sorry..." Honda-san said to us. "Now... I lost my house, again..." she told us and I looked up at Shigure. Sakura then walked in from outside and sat down next to me.

"You really feel bad don't you?" Shigure asked her.

"No, because I know there are worse things." she told us.

"Like what?" Sakura asked her. Honda-san stayed silent. "Tell us!" I put my hand on Sakura's and smiled lightly at her before Honda-san began talking again.

"I didn't tell her to be careful on the road, that morning of the car accident. Because I had a test, I studied till morning, and overslept, I couldn't get up. Only that morning I... usually... Every morning I would say it... Only that day... I... I didn't want to attend high school, I wanted to work. But mom said... "I only finished middle school. But I wanted to be a high school student! So, you must try the high school life for me!" I know she always worked hard for me. But I didn't tell her to be careful, even when she left, I didn't watch her leave. I'm so stupid! Even if I failed, or the house got blown away, I really don't care. The most important thing is mom. So, at least finish mom's wish to enter and finish high school. I can't lose to this little fever..." she said before finally going to sleep.

"Asleep?" Yuki asked from the doorway.

"You heard?" Shigure asked him and he nodded before sitting down next to Shigure.

"I'm shocked. At school, she's always very happy. As if pain and suffering never come close, she is tough." I said smiling at her.

"Impressive?" Shigure asked.

"I... I wanted to leave the Sohma family. But, still end up staying on Sohma family land. If I really hated this life, I should be like Honda-san and live in a tent or go to some unknown place." Yuki said. "I am so naive, right?" he asked.

"You are still the young master!" Shigure said. "Tohru and your thinking are totally different. That goes for the two of you also." he said looking at Sakura and I. "And saying that she is tough, it's rude!" I looked back down at the young woman in the bed.

"Yes..." I agreed with him.

"Can you take care of her? I need to go out." Yuki said before moving back to the door.

"Where are you going? Going to dig her things out?" Shigure asked him.

"I'll come with you, would be difficult for one person." Sakura said standing up.

"Alone?" Yuki asked her. I looked down at his feet and saw a rat. "Who do you think you are talking to?" he asked opening the door where millions of rats outside. Sakura sat back down with a look on her face. She hated rats, but I supposed she had a reason behind it.

"Be careful." Shigure said to him before he left.

* * *

The next morning I was braiding my hair when I suddenly heard a loud crash from another room. I got up and joined Sakura and Shigure in the guest room where Honda-san and Yuki were.

"Yuki, what was that loud noise?" Shigure asked him.

"Kyo's here." he told us. I looked down on the floor to see Honda-san was blushing beat read and digging through some clothes.

"Sorry, are you ok?" she asked, pulling a cat from the pile clothes.

"Why is there a cat?"


End file.
